Figures of Showa stage #6 – Nakamura Kichiemon as Kato Kiyomasa in “Kiyomasa Seichuroku”

Series
Figures of Showa Stage

Series Number
6

Title in English
Figures of Showa stage #6 – Nakamura Kichiemon as Kato Kiyomasa in “Kiyomasa Seichuroku”

Title in Japanese
清正 – 中村吉右衛門丈    昭和舞台姿　その六　
Showa Butai Sugata 6 – Kiyomasa Nakamura Kichiemon

Title in French
Portraits de la scène de Showa No.6 -Nakamura Kichiemon dans le rôle de Kato Kiyomasa dans “Kiyomasa Seichuroku”

The play
This is an historical play in three acts premiered in 1890, a shortened version of a 6-acts play called «Minori no aki seicho denki » dated 1875. The original play used disguised names for the characters to avoid censorship, but the 1890 shortened version uses the real names.
Historical context: Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose from a humble background to become the most powerful ruler of united Japan in 1590’s. But he died while his only remaining heir, Toyotomi Hideyori, was still very young. Anxious as to the future of the Toyotomi clan, he named Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of his generals, to act as Hideyori’s guardian and trustee of the regime until the youth becomes of age.
After Hideyoshi’s death, his followers split into rival factions and Ieyasu played them off one against the other until eventually in a decisive battle, Tokugawa Ieyasu and his Army of the East got the upper hand. He decided to build his castle in Edo (now Tokyo) while the Toyotomi clan stayed in the Osaka castle. Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611) was one of the generals of the Korean war in 1592 under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When Hideyoshi died in 1598, Kato went back to Japan and joined the Army of the East led by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who defeated the West coalition in 1600. Ieyasu became shogun and Kato was then rewarded with a domain.

In 1610, war would break out between the Tokugawa clan and the Toyotomi clan, the latter trying to assert his inheritance rights. The play chronicles of Kato Kiyomasa’s attempts as mediator to promote peace. He died shortly after in 1611, probably poisoned. The war between the two camps took place three years later and ended with the final elimination of the Toyotomi clan and the destruction of their castle in Osaka by Tokugawa troops in 1615.

The story